Chili peppers

It is all about the chili peppers

It all started when I offered to let a Madame Jeanette pepper plant stay in my house during wintertime. I have always loved chilipeppers. When I was a child, I had a schoolmate who was a little naughty and brought a chilipepper to school. A couple of days he asked everyone who dares to eat this? After 4 days I had enough and I said, give it to me, and I ate it. And it was hot! I didn't enjoy it, it was hell. But I didn't loose my love for spicy food. A pepper is related to the eggplant and tomato.

Archaeological excavations show that chili peppers were cultivated more than 6,000 years ago in areas such as Mexico, Guatemala and Peru. After the Spanish conquest of the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries, chili peppers were spread around the world. The chili peppers became an important part of cuisines in Europe, Asia and Africa. Hence, this pepper is in some countries mainly known under the name Spanish pepper.

Today, these chili peppers are grown worldwide, with major producers in countries such as China, India, Mexico and Indonesia.

Discovering the chili Scoville scale

The spiciness of chili peppers is measured using the Scoville scale and expressed in so-called ‘Scoville heat units’ (SHU). The American chemist Wilbur Scoville developed the scale in 1912 and performed the first measurements based on taste tests. Today, experts can determine the spiciness precisely by measuring the amount of capsaicin in the pepper. Quickly discover which are the hottest Mexican peppers.

Some people can handle spicy food well and others hate it. Measuring spiciness, on the other hand, is not subjective. For the average European person, a dish is experienced as spicy if it is between 500-1.000 Scoville units.

Some other types of peppers and their spiciness
Paprika: 50
Alata pepre: 85000
Surinamese Habanero: 250000
Adjoema: 600000

What makes a pepper spicy?

Capsaicin! It is a substance that you find in all types of peppers and that, in high doses, causes a burning sensation in the mouth. The botanical genus to which all peppers belong is called Capsicum. The origin of the chili pepper, Capsicum annuum, is in Central and South America. Based on the amount of capsaicin, each pepper species is given a score that indicates the heat and you can rank the species from least to most spicy. The heat is further influenced by various factors such as the size of the pepper or the ripeness and can therefore vary greatly within each species.

Chili peppers from China

Chili peppers were not known at all in Asia until about the 15th century when they were brought as seeds by traders via the Silk Road from America. Nowadays especially in Sichuan everyone loves spicy food!

Some chilis famous in China

Deng Long Jiao / 灯笼椒, also called Lantern Chili
Scoville: 1.000-1.500

Er Jing Tiao / 二荆条, the scape is in a J size
Scoville: 5.000-10.000

Chao Tian Jiao / 朝天椒, Facing heaven pepper.
Scoville: 10.000-20.000

Zi Dan Tou / 指天椒, the Bullet head pepper.
Scoville: 15.000-30.000

Xiao Mi Jiao / 小米辣, called the small ricepepper.
Scoville: 30.000-50.000

Qi Xing Jiao / 七星椒, the Seven Star Chili.
Scoville: 50.000-100.000

Chili peppers from Mexico

Mexico is the home of the chilipepper and there are many kinds and all known and popular. Do you know the peppers? Have you eaten the peppers?

Poblano: The Poblano pepper originates from the state of Puebla, Mexico and is one of the most popular peppers in Mexican cuisine. Chili fries is made from the poblano pepper. Scoville: 1,000-1,500

Cascabel: Cascabel is used to put in the Mexican classic chili con carne. Scoville: 1,000-3,000

Guajillo: Guajillo (kwa-gie-jo) is a dried, fairly mild pepper that you recognize by its deep red flesh. Guajillo does well in sauces and salsas and gives every dish a nice sweet-spicy finishing touch. Scoville: 2,500-5,000

Jalapeño: The jalapeño (ga-la-pen-jo) is perhaps the most popular Mexican pepper in Europe with a mildly spicy flavor. You can buy the pepper fresh or preserved and use it in salsa dips, wraps and as a garnish for various dishes. Used as well as a topping on various Mexican dishes such as loaded nachos with cheese sauce. Scoville: 2,500-8,000

Chipotle: Chipotle (chi-pot-lee) is the dried and smoked jalapeño pepper with an intense smoky flavor.  Scoville: 5,000-8,000

Serrano: The Serrano pepper resembles the jalapeño in both shape and taste, but it is much spicier. The pepper comes from the northern mountainous region of Mexico and its name is derived from the Spanish word for 'mountain', sierra. The fresh pepper can be used just like jalapeño in sauces, salsas or even as a garnish. Keep in mind that the result will be spicier. Scoville: 5,000-25,000

Chile de Arbol: Chile de Arbol is a spicy pepper with a spicy taste and therefore a powerful flavour enhancer in various dishes. You usually buy the bright red peppers dried and you can grind them into flakes or powder or you can soften them in water and puree them. Scoville: 15,000-30,000

Habanero: Habanero is a very hot pepper named after the Cuban capital Havana (La Habana). In 1999, the habanero was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the hottest pepper in the world, but it has since been overtaken by new cultivated varieties such as Trinidad Moruga Scorpion or Carolina Reaper. Scoville: 200,000-350,000

Chili peppers from Suriname

Suriname, like the rest of South America, has many types of pepper. The peppers come in different spiciness, but also in different colors, such as green (usually picked unripe), red, yellow and orange. The most popular Surinamese pepper is the Madame Jeanette pepper.
Madame Jeanette spiciness expressed in numbers: 125,000 to 325,000 on the Scoville scale. 

In tropical areas, such as Suriname, eating peppers is popular and normal. By eating peppers regularly, you will be able to tolerate the hot taste better quite quickly. Yes, that is why you need to stay in shape.
Peppers contain many antioxidants, which protect against, for example, cardiovascular diseases. Spicy food is like fire in the mouth. Extinguishing it with water will not help. Capsaicin does not dissolve in water but in fat. Greasy food such as fried chips and snacks, a little alcohol or a greasy piece of meat will extinguish the pepper burn in the mouth faster.